Soft Drink Consumption Associated with Mortality in 10 European Countries

A recent study has shown that the consumption of total, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened soft drinks was positively associated with all-cause deaths in European countries.¹

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between total, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened soft drink consumption and subsequent total and cause-specific mortality.²

This population-based cohort study involved 451,743 participants who were a part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), an ongoing, large multinational cohort of people from 10 European countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). Participants were recruited between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 2000, with analysis of data performed from February 1, 2018 to October 1, 2018.¹

Throughout the study, 41,693 deaths occurred, with a higher all-cause mortality found among participants who consumed 2 or more glasses per day of total soft drinks, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, and artificially sweetened soft drinks. Positive associations were also observed between artificially sweetened soft drinks and deaths from circulatory diseases and between sugar-sweetened soft drinks and deaths from digestive diseases.¹

These results support the continuous need of public health campaigns aimed at limiting the consumption of soft drinks.¹

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References

1. Mullee A, Romaguera D, Pearson-Stuttard J, et al. Association between soft drink consumption and mortality in 10 european countries.JAMA Intern Med. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.2478.
2. Association between soft drink consumption and mortality in 10 European countries .Science Dailywebsite. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190905090929.htm. Published September 5, 2019. Accessed September 6, 2019.